A Grand Adventure
by hook617
Summary: Post Season 3. Snow offers Killian and Emma a break from their adventures in the snow in exchange for watching Baby Neal. As a now hesitant Snow leaves her son with his sister and a pirate, Killian and Emma get a small taste of child care. ONE-SHOT.


**A/N: It's so fluffy!**

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><p>"Okay, there's extra diapers and wipes in the hall closet and extra onesies under the changing table," Mary-Margaret explained to Emma rapidly as she bounced Neal in her arms. "Don't be surprised if you need to change his clothes more than once while you're out."<p>

"We'll only be gone two hours," David called from the doorway as he put on his coat and gloves.

"Um, are you forgetting about last Saturday," Mary-Margaret asked, throwing him a look. David chuckled as he put on his hat. Eight outfit changes in one day- a new record. Honestly, he'd rather be facing black knights again than the stack of dirty laundry he had to deal with that day. "Oh, and there's some milk in the refrigerator just in case he can't wait until I get back."

"Got it, Mom," Emma said, stretching her arms out for her brother.

"Remember, you can't put it in the microwave to heat it up! Allow some time to heat it up the bottle in a cup of hot water- and swirl it, don't shake," Mary-Margaret instructed, still clenching her son in her arms. A soft chuckle came from the corner of the room, which earned Killian a shooting glare from Mary-Margaret. "Is something funny?" He held up his hands as he kept his mouth shut. Now was not the time for innuendos.

"We'll be fine," Emma said, reaching out for her brother again, but Mary-Margaret just brought her son's head to her lips and gave him kisses all over his face. "Mom, you were the one who said you needed to get out of the house for a few hours."

"I know, but it's just….so hard to leave him," she said, her eyes never breaking from her son's chubby face.

"Come on, your highness," Killian said, rising from the chair in the corner and standing next to Emma. "What better break from taking care of an infant than tracking a misunderstood villain?" Snow sighed as she handed Neal over to Emma.

When the discussion first came up as to who would try to track Elsa in the woods, Snow was the first to volunteer, making the case that both Emma and Killian had worn themselves ragged trying to deal with her. While most of the town saw Elsa as a threat, it was Emma who saw that Elsa's power wasn't coming from an offensive, but a defensive out of fear. Gold protested her theory, but the more they came up against Elsa, they could see it was true. Between Emma's reasoning and Killian's natural charm, they were able to calm her down quite easily and became two of the few people in town that Elsa trusted other than her sister. But now that Anna had gone missing, the town needed protecting from these freak storms and, unfortunately, her last encounter with Mr. Gold sent Elsa fleeing into the woods and no one had been able to find her for days. When Snow volunteered to go out with David, the idea of having an adventure outside their small apartment seemed like a relief, even exciting. Being trapped inside alone in a snowstorm with a screaming newborn was a quick way to drive even a patient person like Snow White up the wall. She had even stayed up half the night excited to dust off her tracking skills, but now that she was leaving her little boy for the first time ever, she felt an ache in her arms.

"Don't worry, Mom. His big sister's got him," Emma said with a wink. "And honestly, thank you for saving us a bit of frostbite for a day."

"Save the thank you until after you've changed a few diapers," David said, helping Snow slip on her coat.

"Normally, we are a great team, love, but I think I'm at a disadvantage on this one," Killian said as he held up his hook. "You'll have to go solo on that one."

"Oh, I don't think so," Emma said with a chuckle. "If I need help, you're helping."

"But what if I injure his…"

"Okay," Emma said loudly to interrupt him. "My Mom's nervous enough and I don't want to give her something else to worry about- which is _nothing_." Killian looked over at the Charmings, who were both giving him death glares.

"No injuries while the little royal is in our charge," Killian said, unclicking his hook and tucking it away in his coat pocket and clicking in his prosthetic hand, topping it off with giving them a little salute. "Best of luck." Snow and Charming nodded in approval, both of them giving their son kisses before leaving.

"Thanks, Emma," David said, giving his daughter a kiss on the cheek as well. As he pulled back, Killian offered David his cheek to kiss as well, earning him a playful shove from David. Mary-Margaret gave baby Neal one final wave before David had to literally pull her out the door.

As soon as the door shut, Killian turned to Emma with a sly look on his face, raising his eyebrows at her in a suggestive manner. "What's that smile for," she asked, putting distance between them while she walked the baby towards the bassinet in the corner. Although she and Killian hadn't been a couple for that long, she knew exactly what that look meant.

"Oh, it's been at least a fortnight since we've had a moment to ourselves. Between trying to reconcile with Regina, rushing out into the storm to confront the Snow Queen, and now trying to locate her sister as well, it's been a while since we've been together in a warm and dry place- alone."

"We're not alone," Emma corrected as she laid her brother down. "My baby brother is watching."

"Lad's gotta go to sleep sometime," Killian said, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. He peered down into the bassinet and looked into the pair of tiny blue-gray ones staring back up at him. "Don't you, young sir? Don't you want to go to sleep so your big sister and I can get warmed up properly?" Neal wiggled and gave Killian and almost pleasant expression. "There you are! The lad agrees. After all, he'll understand someday." He spun Emma in his arms to face him and cupped her cheek gently. Emma swayed toward him, melting into his touch as she looked into his eyes.

"And how exactly were you thinking of warming me up with my baby brother only a few feet away from us," Emma said, leaning into the palm of his hand. Killian leaned in so his lips were hovering just above hers, merely breaths away.

"I believe starting here would be…" They both froze suddenly when they heard a disturbing sound coming from the bassinet below them. They both looked down at baby Neal, who was wiggling around, looking completely innocent.

"Great," Emma said as she lifted him up. "You couldn't have done this five minutes ago when your parents were here." Sure enough, there was a large stain across the back of his outfit.

"Lovely," Killian said with a sigh. "Not exactly the mood I was trying to set up, mate."

"Hold him for a second while I grab a wash cloth," Emma said, holding Neal out to him. Killian hesitated and took a step back. "Killian- take him!"

"But he's a mess!"

"Exactly. And we're going to clean him up."

"We?"

"Let's put it this way. If you want to do anything close to what we were about to do later, you're helping me right now," Emma said, urgently trying to pass her brother to him. Killian shook off his pirate coat, throwing it carelessly over the couch and pushing back his sleeves before letting Emma lay Neal over his shoulder. Killian tucked his bad arm underneath him and carefully cradled the baby's head with his good hand, heading towards the nursery with purpose in his stride. Emma raced towards the bathroom and quickly wet a few wash clothes with warm water and grabbed a couple burp clothes. When she arrived in the nursery, Killian was peeling off the last layers of dirty clothes and was throwing them them in a laundry bag.

"If this is what already leaked out, I fear what was left below," Killian said, pointing to the diaper. "How do you want to do this?"

"Well, if we work together quickly, we might manage to avoid getting...sprayed," Emma said. Killian looked confused at first, but then shook his head and they both approached the changing table with caution. Neal made a few more offending sounds, sending their hands into a quick retreat after they both reached for his diaper.

"There's more?! How the bloody…" he started, catching himself before he fully finished. "How could there be more after that? Do they give him a feast at every meal?"

"It boggles my mind too, but I think he's done now," Emma said, reaching for Neal's legs. "Okay, I'll keep him still, you wipe."

"That hardly seems fair, Swan. You wouldn't send a novice into battle now, would you?"

"You've got one hand," Emma said. "You can't hold both legs apart and we need to get all the...crevices. Just remember to keep wiping down."

"Down," Killian said, taking one of the wipes. "Got it." Emma helped him pull the tabs of the diaper off before peeling it back. They both grimaced at what they found. "Gads, sir!"

"Geez, Neal," Emma said. "That's an explosion!" Neal gurgled up at them, almost as if he was enjoying watching them squirm. True to agreement, Killian cleaned him up quickly, Emma helping as she could as he had to wipe up his back, all the while making sure his front was covered by a burp cloth to prevent further mess.

"How does Snow manage this by herself," Killian asked. "I know we only have really 3 good arms, but it feels like we need eight!"

"The diapers can't be all this bad," Emma said as she gently bumped Killian to the side, finishing cleaning up her brother herself by pulling the dirty diaper out from beneath the baby and slapping on a clean one and pulling the tabs shut quickly. Neal gurgled in approval as she rolled up the diaper. "There we go, buddy! Nice and clean."

"Maybe we should put him in one of those single cloth things," Killian suggested. "The multiple layers of clothes were rather difficult to peel off when covered in that sticky mess- which will hopefully not happen again within the next two hours." Emma pulled out a onesie and began to dress her brother, making sure to put on a little hat and socks to keep him warm.

"It's not going to keep him totally warm," Emma said.

"I got this one, love," Killian said, grabbing a large blanket next to the crib. "I know a trick or two." Killian laid Neal down on the blanket, tucking and folding it around him until he was perfectly swaddled. He lifted Neal up and cradled him against his chest, the baby cuddling into him in approval. Emma couldn't help it, her heart completely melted. Killian immediately noticed the look in her eye and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "See something you like, Swan?"

"Where did you learn how to swaddle," Emma asked, avoiding the question.

"Your father taught me," he said. "The trick is tucking it tightly. He'll be good and warm in this." Neal snuggled a bit more into Killian and gave a little yawn, accompanied by a little squeak at the end. Killian and Emma chuckled as they stared down at baby Neal, whose eyes were starting to get a bit heavy. Killian started to head back downstairs, followed closely by Emma, and laid him down gently in the bassinet. Emma was amazed at how easily Killian was handling him, almost natural. How could a pirate be so natural with a baby? And she couldn't help but feel a stronger pull to him at the sight of him with a baby. Was this how it was going to be with their….NOPE! Too soon to think about that. "Even after all that excitement," he said as he brought her out of her thoughts. "I can see the appeal why someone would want one of these."

"Babies? Yeah. They're a handful, but they're worth it," Emma said, almost instantly feeling a pang of sadness. Her memories of taking care of Henry as a baby- they were all a lie. She had never done this before, not really. The mechanics were ingrained, probably thanks to Regina, which is why she felt so comfortable handling Neal, but in reality- she'd never taken care of an infant. Killian rubbed her arm and she swayed into his embrace.

"You're thinking about Henry, how your memories are false of him at this age," Killian said softly as he rubbed her back.

"You know, it's not always fun that I'm an open book to you," Emma said, trying to jest her way through her sadness. Killian gave her a squeeze and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Well, maybe someday the memories will be real, Swan. Could be a grand adventure for us," he said before he could stop himself. He then prepared himself for her to tense and run out of his embrace, but she didn't. Instead, she gave him a squeeze in return before giving him a gentle kiss on the scruff of his cheek.

"Maybe," she said softly. "One step at a time, Captain." Killian's heart felt like it was growing to the point of exploding. He never thought he'd be able to fall in love again, let alone start a family. With Emma, all of that seemed like a possibility again and he couldn't stop the warmth that was flowing through him at the thought of having a little pirate running around...or a princess. It didn't matter. As long as they had their mother's smile, that's all he wanted. Emma wrapped her arms around his neck and began to trail kisses down his cheek to his neck, causing him to react to her affections. "Now, I believe you said you were going to warm me...AAH!"

Killian surprised her by quickly scooping her up in his arms and rushing her over to the couch, causing her to giggle. He sat down and pulled her onto his lap, kissing her senseless. Emma maneuvered a bit to get more comfortable before threading her fingers through his soft hair. Boy, did they ever need this! It felt like they hadn't kissed like this in forever. Sure, they shared brief kisses, some not so brief, but to have him all alone like this sent a wave through her. She needed to kiss him like she needed air. It wasn't as tender as the night they fell in love or rawly passionate like Neverland, but somewhere perfectly in between.

"I love you, Swan," Killian whispered between kisses as he pulled her closer to him.

"I love you too," she managed to gasp out as she grew more bold after the thought of Neverland flashed in her mind, Killian groaning in response. Just as his fingers found the hem of her shirt, sending electricity through her skin, Neal began to sniffle from the bassinet before starting to wail. Killian and Emma pressed their foreheads together as they took a moment to recover.

"Your brother has horrible timing," Killian said between breaths. Emma swung off his lap and went towards the bassinet.

"I guess he's not as tired as we thought," she said, rocking him gently as she paced the floor. "Although, I think I remember my Mom saying he won't fall asleep unless someone is holding him. Probably not the best thing to teach him, but their kid, their rules I guess." Killian watched in awe as Emma tried to calm her brother. As beautiful as she was in their passionate embrace a moment ago, she was equally beautiful if not more so with a babe in her arms. Thoughts of Sunday afternoons teaching Henry to sail while Emma chased around a giggling little boy and girl across the deck began to swirl in his mind. Emma caught his eyes and blushed slightly. "What are you looking at, pirate?"

"You, love. I know your memories of Henry aren't completely real, but you're a natural, Swan." Emma gave him a smile in return before looking back down at her brother. Killian continued to watch her in amazement, the cries from Neal somehow muted in his mind as he watched them pace back and forth.

"I don't know about natural. He's not settling down. Maybe he's hungry already? Or maybe he's cold and we should have dressed him warmer," Emma said.

"I think I have a solution to that, love."

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><p>Mary-Margaret jumped out of the truck before it came to a complete stop, practically running towards the door of the apartment. David put the truck in park and jogged up after her.<p>

"Honey, he's fine! Emma hasn't called, I don't hear any screaming," David said as he took two stairs at a time to catch up to her.

"David, we're a half hour behind in his feeding schedule! You know how he gets," Mary-Margaret called back down to him. "We shouldn't have stayed so long with Elsa."

"We need to talk to her longer than just 'Hi, stop the storm, goodbye," David said. "Killian and Emma can't be the only people in this town she trusts."

"Well, she would have understood if I said my son needed his mother. Besides, Emma needs to pick up Henry from Regina's soon and who knows what Hook did while we were out," Mary-Margaret said as she yanked her keys out of her coat pocket and slammed them into the lock. As she pushed open the door, she froze, causing David to bump into her as he entered.

There on the couch was Killian, Neal tucked securely against his chest, and Emma curled into Killian's side with her hand on her brother's back. A blanket was pulled over all three of them, and all of them were fast asleep. A smile crept across both of the parents' faces at the sight. David's smile grew a bit larger when he noticed a puddle of drool from his son across Killian's bare chest where his shirt was open.

"I guess we shouldn't wake them just yet," Mary-Margaret said softly. "It'll at least give us a chance to get out of these wet clothes." David nodded in agreement as they headed towards their bedroom. They looked back at their daughter, completely content in the arms of her pirate and next to her brother.

"Not exactly how we pictured our children bonding back when we were first married," David said.

"None of it is exactly how we pictured it," Mary-Margaret said. "But it doesn't make it any less wonderful."

"Yeah, his big sister did a good job," David said. "And so did he." They started to continue back up the steps.

"They'll be great at this one day," Mary-Margaret said as she looked back over her shoulder, which caused David to freeze for a moment before continuing up the stairs.

"Maybe. But let's not talk about that just yet."

**THE END**

_Reviews please?_


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